Episode 3.
“Protons and Neutrons”
Setting: Evergreen High, midday.
Sampson is alone at his locker. He takes a couple books from inside the locker and puts them into his backpack. Suddenly, he hears a voice from behind him.
TANYA
Hey you!
Sampson has an odd expression on his face at hearing the voice. However, he then smiles and turns around to face Tanya.
SAMPSON
Hey! What’s up?
TANYA
[Grabs onto the front of his shirt]
Oh, nothing. Just thinking about the other night… at the football game.
SAMPSON
Yeah…
TANYA
I really like you Sampson.
SAMPSON
Yeah, Tanya… I, uh… I really like you too.
Tanya smiles, and then gives Sampson a kiss. The bell rings.
TANYA
Oops, I gotta go! I’ll talk to you soon.
Tanya runs off. We see Sampson, who has a pained look on his face as he watches Tanya walk off. He then turns around and heads for class. On the other side of the hallway, we see Austin leaning against his locker, watching Sampson walk away. His face is expressionless. Finally, he turns around and walks into class. He sits next to Devin.
AUSTIN
I’m gonna kill him.
DEVIN
Kill who?
AUSTIN
Sampson.
DEVIN
Relax, man. So they kissed. Big deal.
AUSTIN
I don’t care. He stole her from me. Now he has to pay.
DEVIN
That’s a little excessive.
TEACHER
Will you boys keep it quiet back there?
DEVIN
Sorry.
Desiree, who is sitting a row behind Austin, turns to Kelly, who is sitting next to her.
DESIREE
Did you hear?
KELLY
Hear what?
DESIREE
Austin. He’s gonna fight Sampson.
KELLY
Really? What for?
DESIREE
I don’t know. Something about stealing his girlfriend?
KELLY
I didn’t know he had a girlfriend! That’s a shame… I always thought he was cute.
DESIREE
Alright, it’s not always about you, Kelly. Don’t be so selfish.
KELLY
Sorry. So what’s the latest with Devin?
As she says this, Desiree turns to look at Devin. He’s sitting there staring at the teacher, but not really paying attention. He then looks over the corner of the room, where there sits an empty desk. He turns to Austin.
DEVIN
Ashley’s absent again…
AUSTIN
Huh?
DEVIN
Ashley. She hasn’t been in school since the football game. I wonder what happened.
AUSTIN
You know what else happened at the football game?
DEVIN
Oh man, not again.
AUSTIN
That nerd is dead.
TEACHER
Austin, I can hear you back there! One more word and I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Is what you’re talking about so important it can’t wait until after class?
At these words, Austin stands up.
TOM
This should be good.
AUSTIN
Actually, it is important. It’s the more important thing in the world. Because it’s my life. You’re sitting up there talking about the dilemmas that exist between subatomic particles. But you know what? What about my dilemmas? I’d do anything to switch places with a proton right now. And you know why? Because protons are never alone. Every proton has a neutron to pair with it. They share the nucleus. And they’re happy. But me… I’m neither a proton nor a neutron. I’m an electron. I have no counterpart, nor will I ever. I live in a nucleus, alright. But my nucleus… it’s empty. And it always will be.
Austin storms out of the classroom.
TOM
Yup, I was not disappointed.
We cut forward to the end of the school day. Devin is standing at his locker, talking to a few other guys. Desiree approaches him.
DESIREE
Hey Dev!
DEVIN
Hey Desiree, what’s up?
DESIREE
Oh, nothing. Just saying hi!
DEVIN
Oh… OK. Say, have you heard anything about Ashley? Is she sick or something?
DESIREE
[Appears angry for a second, and then recovers]
You know… I’ve heard some strange rumors about that girl.
DEVIN
You have? Like what?
DESIREE
That umm… she’s…. that she’s…. crazy.
DEVIN
[Laughs]
Crazy? What do you mean? She seems fine to me.
DESIREE
Well that’s how crazy people work, don’t they? Fine one day, then they wake up on wrong the side of the bed and they go insane. I’ve heard she’s even spent time in a mental institution.
DEVIN
[Pensive]
Heh… I gotta admit, I find that a little hard to believe…
DESIREE
Well, like I said. It’s just a rumor. Take it for what it’s worth. So what’s the deal with Austin wanting to kill Sampson? Everyone in the school is talking about it!
DEVIN
What? Where’d you hear that?
DESIREE
Oh… you know how this school works. Somebody overhears somebody else in class, and then tells somebody else. Before you know it, it spreads like wildfire.
DEVIN
Right…
Kelly, who is standing behind Desiree, notices Sampson walking down the hall. She lowers her eyes in suspicion and then starts following him. She watches as he walks out the back doors. Watching through the window, she sees Tanya run up to him and give him a hug. Kelly’s eyes light up as she watches. Instantly, she turns and starts running back towards Devin and Desiree. She looks around, and then spots Austin at his locker and runs up to him.
KELLY
Austin!
AUSTIN
What?
KELLY
Sampson and Tanya! I just saw them kissing in the back of the school.
Austin instantly freezes. His head turns in the direction of the back doors, and then he starts walking. As he walks, everyone he passes stops what they’re doing to watch him. You can see them all whispering excitedly to each other.
Meanwhile, in the back of the school. Tanya and Sampson are talking.
TANYA
So what are you doing tonight? Wanna catch a movie?
SAMPSON
Oh, I don’t know. I kind of have a lot of work to do…
TANYA
Nonsense! What’s more important, work or me?
SAMPSON
Umm…
TANYA
That’s what I thought. I’ll call you later!
She gives Sampson a kiss on the cheek and then walks away towards the parking lot. She’s halfway there when she hears a large commotion back from where she just came from. She notices a large group of people are forming a circle. Intrigued, she heads back over to watch. In the circle, she sees Austin and Sampson face-to-face.
AUSTIN
You have a lot of explaining to do!
SAMPSON
What are you talking about?!
AUSTIN
I saw you at the football game with Tanya… kissing.
Sampson says nothing.
AUSTIN
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Austin grabs hold of Sampson, and then cocks his arm back to throw a punch.
SAMPSON
WAIT! Wait a minute! You don’t understand! I don’t even like her! It was a mistake… I shouldn’t have kissed her!
Austin lowers his arm.
AUSTIN
So… you’re not gonna date her?
SAMPSON
No.
Austin stares down Sampson, and then finally let’s go of him as he falls to the ground. Austin walks back into the school. Sampson, breathing quickly, looks around at everyone staring at him, and then he notices Tanya staring at the edge of the crowd. She gives him a horrified look, and looks like she’s about to cry. Finally, she bolts off.
SAMPSON
[From the ground]
Tanya… wait!
The rest of the crowd watches as she runs away, and Sampson just continues to lie there in shame. Everyone instantly starts talking to each other about what just happened. Meanwhile, Tom just stands there in the back with a grin on his face.
TOM
This place never lets me down.
END SCENE
Will Tanya and Sampson reconcile?
Will Devin actually heed Desiree’s “warning?”
Will Sampson exact revenge on Austin?
Will I drink a red or a yellow Gatorade as soon as I finish typing this?
Find out on the next episode of… EVERGREEN HIGH